Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Girls should be a bit thinner to look good!
 

[Those whose hearts are not like Buddha’s cannot become healers.]

Qi Yue’s heart twinged with pain, and she sighed in resignation, closing her eyes.

“Father, when you left me, when you left mother, did you ever feel regret?”

For a moment, she suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

“Ha, what right do I have to speak of you? Didn’t I also leave mother behind?”

Suddenly feeling exhausted, she slumped down in front of the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.

Time trickled by, and the night grew deep.

The convicts holed up in the horse stables were all asleep, but the lights were still on in the room where the Zhao family members at the post station stayed.

Zhao Yongzhe was sitting upright on the kang bed, silent.

Zhao Xiyan’s mask had already been removed, his incredibly beautiful face showing anxiety.

Zhao Yonglian paced back and forth on the ground, almost wearing a hole through the floor.

“Yanyan, didn’t you say your niece-in-law would return soon? It’s almost midnight. Could something have happened to her?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Zhao Yongzhe’s voice was deep, “Haven’t you seen Qi Yue’s skills?”

“But!” Zhao Yonglian paced a couple more times, then, unable to bear it any longer, sat down beside the kang bed, “Yanyan, say something!”

Zhao Xiyan’s eyes were downcast, a hand gently caressing the mask.

“She will be okay, I believe in her.”

At that moment, there was a clanging outside, “Yanyan.”

Hearing that it was Shen Yu, Zhao Yonglian hurried to open the door.

But he found that Zhao Shuanghua and the other three girls had all followed Shen Yu.

“Why have you all run over here?”

Zhao Shuangxue, the youngest, was hugging her arms, shivering constantly.

“Dad, I’m scared, I want to see big sister-in-law.”

“Dad, I want to see big sister-in-law too.” Zhao Shuangyun was almost crying.

Shen Yu quickly hugged the two girls close, whispering comfortingly.

“Big sister-in-law will come.”

Zhao Shuanghua and Zhao Shuangyue, being a bit older, were still relatively calm at this point.

“Dad, uncle, let us wait here for big sister-in-law to come back. We can’t sleep without her.”

The men glanced at each other and said nothing further, indicating their agreement.

After calming Zhao Shuangxue and the other, Shen Yu herself was still feeling uneasy.

“Husband, Yanyan, let’s ask the commander to come and have him take people to look for Yueyue.”

Zhao Yonglian stood up immediately upon hearing this.

“I’ll go!”

Just as he opened the door, Qi Yue walked in.

“Uncle, where were you going?”

Looking around once more, she saw that the whole Zhao family was there, and several covered dishes were still on the table.

Qi Yue’s heart sank.

Why didn’t these people listen? Did they even need to wait for her to come back to eat?

“Didn’t I tell you? There’s no need to wait for me to have your meals. As long as it’s ready, you should eat.”

Shen Yu quickly stepped forward to touch Qi Yue’s forehead.

“Yueyue, did you get caught in the rain and fall sick? You left just like that, and I was worried sick. How could we have an appetite to eat?”

Qi Yue paused, right, she had stormed off in a fit, Shen Yu must have been concerned.

“Mother, it was my fault.” She touched her nose sheepishly, “I just went out for a walk, I’m fine.”

Seeing that Qi Yue seemed to be in good spirits and her clothes were dry, Shen Yu felt somewhat relieved and busied herself with reheating the food.

“Big sister-in-law, where have you been for so long? Without you, I and my sister couldn’t sleep.” Zhao Shuanghua clung to her arm, as if letting go would make her disappear.

Long? Sleep?

It was only then that Qi Yue realized the atmosphere in the room was a bit off.

“Have I been gone that long?”

As soon as she finished speaking, there came the sound of a rooster crowing in the distance.

Zhao Xiyan said somberly, “It’s the third watch of the night.”

With his mask off, Qi Yue glimpsed his astonishingly beautiful face the moment she turned her head.

The dim oil lamp cast a painting-like depth upon his flawlessly handsome features,

adding an oppressive, soul-stirring allure to his beauty.

For some reason, Qi Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and she grew somewhat flustered.

“I, I might have misunderstood the time.”

The Zhao family members in the room looked at each other in confusion.

How could one mistake the time?

It was then that Qi Yue realized what had happened.

She had taken a nap in the space, thinking it was just a short doze, not expecting so much time to have passed outside!

That showed how long she had been asleep!

In the future, she would have to be careful not to fall asleep in the space like she did tonight.

The Zhao family had waited for her half the night and worried the same, without even having dinner, which made Qi Yue feel somewhat embarrassed.

Even she hadn’t noticed that her attitude towards the Zhao family had changed.

She had started to care about them as if she had really become a part of the Zhao family.

The next day the heavy rain ceased, and the exile procession continued on its way.

Early in the morning, Shen Yu brought her a piece of clothing, saying that she had lost weight recently and her clothes were now much too loose, so she had altered them for her.

To her surprise, when Qi Yue put them on, the clothes still seemed too large.

Shen Yu awkwardly offered to make further alterations.

Qi Yue pinched her arm and realized she had lost at least 30 pounds.

She secretly guessed that it was the effect of the Spiritual Spring Water that made her lose weight quickly and healthily without any side effects!

The Zhao family was worried on one hand that she had lost weight due to overexertion, but on the other hand, they were happy for her.

After all, girls were supposed to look better when thinner!

Qi Yue was also pleased with her weight loss and silently planned to drink eight glasses of water a day to promote detoxification, aiming to return to her normal weight by the time they reached Longnan Ridge.

Her good mood was infectious, and even Zhao Xiyan occasionally looked back at her.

After a few times, Qi Yue finally couldn’t help but approach him.

“What’s wrong? Did you run out of medicine today?”

Zhao Xiyan’s eyes behind the mask were dark and profound, deeper than the night sky, and Qi Yue deliberately turned her head slightly away.

How come she felt this man looked at her for longer and longer periods of time?

“I see you’ve lost quite a bit of weight, and you look very good.”

The man’s deliberately lowered voice exploded in her ear with a sob-like huskiness.

What?

This aloof man actually knew how to flirt?

She had underestimated him!

And she was more infatuated with his voice, blushing as red as a large red cloth without realizing it.

“You, you eagerly, just wanted to say that?”

Qi Yue’s head was spinning, and her voice unconsciously took on a sassy tone.

When she came back to her senses, she felt somewhat annoyed.

Why was it that in front of Zhao Xiyan, she always spoke insincerely and couldn’t stand firm?

“I want to tell you, don’t worry, you can talk to me about anything that bothers you.”

Qi Yue instantly understood he was referring to last night’s incident.

Looking into Zhao Xiyan’s earnest eyes, for some reason, she nodded her head.

For a while after that, neither of them spoke a word.

One was being carted along, and the other was walking beside the cart, appearing inseparably close.

After a long time, Qi Yue finally spoke up, “Would you like to hear a story?”

“Yes.”

“…In a mysterious land, there was a man, he was an excellent healer, and had saved countless lives. One day, he was asked to save a villain, who had poisoned many and caused numerous deaths. Although the man knew this, he still did his best to save him, because he had a creed as a healer: one who isn’t compassionate, shouldn’t be a doctor.”

“While saving the villain, the man’s heart condition relapsed. He should have immediately swapped out for another doctor, but the villain’s illness could only be cured by him. So, the man persevered and continued treating the villain.”

“Later, the villain was saved, but the man died because he missed the window of time for his own treatment.”

“Not long after, the villain also died due to poor care.”

“Those who had originally begged the man to save the villain, to avoid blame, pushed all faults onto the dead man. Everyone cursed him as a charlatan, saying he sought fame at the cost of others’ lives, harming the villain and himself.”

“Therefore, the man’s grave was destroyed, his family was threatened, living in constant fear.”

Qi Yue did not know why she felt the need to share the story of her father with Zhao Xiyan.

Maybe she had been suppressing it for too long and was eager to find an outlet.

That resentful energy, even after dying once and coming to another world, still couldn’t be shaken off.

But after telling the story, she belatedly realized that Zhao Xiyan might not be able to understand her feelings at all.

After all, they were separated by different times and spaces.

Just as she felt disheartened, she heard a clear sigh.